THE local branch of the Animal Justice Party (AJP) has praised councillors for voting against the use of deterrent and dispersal actions against flying foxes should they return this summer.
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At Wednesday night’s ordinary meeting of Bathurst Regional Council, it was decided that only ‘level one’ actions, which centre around community education and habitat rehabilitation, would be used.
The majority of councillors deemed the cost of levels one, two and three, at around $500,000 per year, was to high given that there was a 95 per cent chance of the actions failing to prevent bats coming to Machattie Park.
AJP Central West regional group leader Queenie Green, also a WIRES volunteer, said council’s decision not to use deterrent and dispersal methods was the best and only option.
“What Cr Bourke was proposing was unnecessary and cruel,” she said.
“There was no way that all three stages were going to get passed through Bathurst Regional Council, for the ratepayers with the cost and the five per cent success rate.”
Ms Green said that the flying foxes, also referred to as bats, are misunderstood by a lot of people and it was important for council to alleviate fears by spreading the correct information.
She said that people have no reason to fear the animals, as they are only roosting in the trees and are highly unlikely to bite people.
“We do believe it is in the best interest of council to keep educating the public,” Ms Green said.
During discussion of the available actions on Wednesday, councillors were unsure whether the flying foxes would return to Machattie Park next summer.
Ms Green believes they will be back.
“I think they will most likely return,” she said.
“There is still a good food source in the Central West, so we do believe that they will come back.”
Part of the habitat rehabilitation includes planting more trees along the Macquarie River. It is hoped that the flying foxes will one day move there.
